Endless Summer (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Beach Boys album. For other uses, including the Donna Summer album, see Endless Summer.

Endless Summer
Compilation album by The Beach Boys
Released	24 June 1974 (US)
Recorded	April 1962 - June 1965 (CD bonus track, "Good Vibrations": February-September 1966)
Genre	Rock
Length	51:09
Label	Capitol Records
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson and Nick Venet
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
The Beach Boys chronology
	Endless Summer (1974)	Spirit of America (1975)

Endless Summer is a pop compilation album by surf rock band The Beach Boys, released on June 24, 1974 (see 1974 in music).

A collection of hits from the pre-Pet Sounds period, Endless Summer (reportedly named by Mike Love), was compiled by their old label Capitol Records while The Beach Boys were contracted with Reprise Records. The compilation seems to have been done in a rather slap-dash manner by someone unfamiliar with the nuances of the Beach Boys' Capitol catalog. For instance, the album versions of "Be True To Your School", "Help Me Ronda", and "Fun, Fun, Fun" were included rather than the superior hit-single versions, a difference which is subtle in the last case, but glaring in the first two. The compilation also does not have much music on it for what was originally a double album. Initial pressings of this album contained a poster depicting an airplane flying a Beach Boys banner. While the album is limited entirely to the band's sixties material, the cover artwork curiously reflected the Beach Boys' seventies appearance.

Endless Summer is notable, however, for reclaiming the band's commercial glory at home, spending 155 weeks on the Billboard album chart, and peaking at #1, selling over three million copies.

But, as it is not an authorized release by The Beach Boys, and has since been supplanted by superior hits packages, Endless Summer and its successors (Spirit of America and Sunshine Dream) have long been deleted from the group's catalog.

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Brian Wilson/Mike Love, except where noted.

1. "Surfin' Safari" – 2:05
2. "Surfer Girl" (Brian Wilson) – 2:26
3. "Catch a Wave" – 2:07
4. "The Warmth of the Sun" – 2:51
5. "Surfin' USA" (Chuck Berry/Brian Wilson) – 2:27
6. "Be True to Your School" (Album Version) – 2:07
7. "Little Deuce Coupe" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 1:38
8. "In My Room" (Brian Wilson/Gary Usher) – 2:11
9. "Shut Down" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 1:49
10. "Fun, Fun, Fun" – 2:16
11. "I Get Around" – 2:12
12. "Girls on the Beach" – 2:24
13. "Wendy" – 2:16
14. "Let Him Run Wild" – 2:20
15. "Don't Worry Baby" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 2:47
16. "California Girls" – 2:38
17. "Girl Don't Tell Me" – 2:19
18. "Help Me, Ronda" – 2:46
19. "You're So Good to Me" – 2:14
20. "All Summer Long" – 2:06
    • "Good Vibrations" was added to the end of Endless Summer in the 1980s for its CD edition.

Endless Summer (Capitol SVBB 11307) hit #1 in the US during a chart stay of 155 weeks.

The Beach Boys
Brian Wilson | Carl Wilson | Dennis Wilson | Mike Love | Al Jardine | Bruce Johnston
Studio albums
Surfin' Safari (1962) | Surfin' USA (1963) | Surfer Girl (1963) | Little Deuce Coupe (1963) | Shut Down Volume 2 (1964) | All Summer Long (1964) | The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964) | The Beach Boys Today! (1965) | Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965) | Beach Boys' Party! (1965) | Pet Sounds (1966) | Smiley Smile (1967) | Wild Honey (1967) | Friends (1968) | 20/20 (1969) | Sunflower (1970) | Surf's Up (1971) | Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (1972) | Holland (1973) | 15 Big Ones (1976) | Love You (1977) | M.I.U. Album (1978) | L.A. (Light Album) (1979) | Keepin' the Summer Alive (1980) | The Beach Boys (1985) | Still Cruisin' (1989) | Summer in Paradise (1992) | Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996)
Live albums
Beach Boys Concert (1964) | Live in London (1970) | The Beach Boys in Concert (1973) | Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980 (2002)
Related articles
Song List | Lead Vocalists | Capitol Records | Brother Records | Sea of Tunes | Discography | Solo Discography